This is an outlet for my spinning mind, for me to just let out what goes inside my head and my heart. I will be personal, I will be blunt and I will be opinionated, but I will try my best to be funny too, just to compensate. Read, enjoy (I hope!) and join in!

Monthly Archives: July 2013

Every July now brings something very special to my neck of the woods. They are colourful, they are floaty, they are fun, they are beautiful! The kites of the St Annes Kite Festival make the sky a colourful place, full of bouncing and colourful fun.

Supported by the local council and local businesses, the event gathers hundreds of families from the area and a number of them that come to St Annes especially to see the array of colours in the sky. And the event doesn’t disappoint! In the shapes of dragons, octopuses (including a 30-metre long one!), teddy bears, planes and even hippos, the kites fly high and catch attention from far away.

You can also bring your teddy bear to take part in the teddy parachure drop, which celebrates each brave teddy with a certificate of achievement. And with face painting, market stalls and even an army assault course, the day is not only for the kids. Best of all, the festival is free and the beach welcomes whole families that want to watch the kites and have a picnic.

I am fortunate enough that my little flat is opposite the beach, so I can watch the whole thing from my balcony, and I can say that the only thing I witness is hapiness all round. I see families pointing to the kites, people smiling at their movements and kids dropping their jaws at the size of them all. It’s fantastic to be part of such a fantastic event that brings so much happiness, colour and a great family spirit to the whole town. Can’t wait for 2014!

Today I watched the Wimbledon men’s singles final and saw a very controlled Andy Murray play a fantastic game that gave him a well deserved victory. The whole tennis thing is quite magnetic, you can’t stop watching it and you can almost feel the tension and the players’ strategies changing with each point that is won or lost. It’s an individual game, you are there on your own and your decisions alone can make it or break it.

I couldn’t help it but relate this to life. We analyse everything in so much detail sometimes that I think we miss the window to actually do something in some cases. It’s all good and well to analyse everything to be able to make the best decision, but sometimes life throws you a challenge that requires a quick response. Like a tennis ball that needs to be caught by a racket with no delay, or the point is lost.

In a competition, we can be winners or losers, but what makes us winner in life? If we relate the approach a player would have to a tennis match to our approach to life and what we want to achieve, here is what I think makes us win every time:

1. You’ve got to have a dream

You need to aspire to something, be something, have something, start something that you feel passionate about. Then, you’ve got to put this into action.

2. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

The second step is to get your act together and make a plan – a route that will take you from where you are to your dream.

3. Think NOW

Winners have the ability to think about the ‘right now’ and not focus too much on the long road ahead. They overcome every challenge and slowly build up victories that put them closer to their ultimate dream. They don’t spend time thinking about how difficult things might get, they focus on the NOW and just go with the flow.

4. LOVE it

Whatever your dream is in life, you’ve got to love it. This passion is what will drive you forward and what will make your journey worthwhile. Achieving a dream that isn’t yours will not feel like victory, it’ll feel like hard work and no pleasure. If you love the final destination, every step of the way will feel like a step forward to getting there, which is pleasurable too.

5. Work it

Oh yes, hard work is required, of course. A dream that is easy to achieve doesn’t feel like it’s worthy. You’ve got to put the time and effort in, to make sure you are taking yourself steadily through the journey that will lead to a deserved victory.

6. Own it

You have to take responsibility for all you do, either to achieve your dream or if you let things slip. You can’t just blame others, blame situations and find excuses. You have to own it. It’s your dream, after all.

7. Set goals

Any dream will not be achieved without milestones conquered on the way. These need to be set in advance and carefully and you need to commit to them. It’s a bit like losing weight. You won’t lose 40 kg in 2 weeks, but you can lose 2 kg. As long as you commit to each step of the way, you are moving into the right direction.

8. Carry on, always

Don’t give up. Achieving a dream isn’t an easy task. But think about achieving it. How would it feel? How would YOU feel? Carry on to find out. You won’t be disappointed, I’m sure.

9. Deal with it

Some people say that we are always in one of three positions: we’ve just come out of a storm, we’re in a storm, or we’re headed into a storm. Be prepared for any of these 3 situations and you’ll always come out on top. You might get drenched, but you’ll have learnt invaluable lessons.

10. Be positive

You get to pick your attitude, it’s the one thing you always have control over. So, choose to pick a good one. There’s no reason to be grumpy (like Andy Murray is sometimes! hehe). Enjoy the ride and have faith in the fact that the end of the road will feel amazing.

There you have it. Some inspirational words that I reckon I wrote to inspire myself, more than anything. I would like to start a project that will lead to a dream of mine being accomplished and I guess I just needed to get myself in the zone. It’ll be a long road (and many words!), I know, but milestones is my new favourite word from now on – as is word count! I shall do it. Because it’s my dream. It has been for a long time and I would be stupid if I didn’t chase it.

I hope you feel slightly inspired to chase your own dreams too.

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Who’s writing?

People normally see me as an extrovert but I have my quiet moments and I really enjoy them. I like to have my own space and always have it organised within my own little rules (this may be better translated as a mild OCD!). I like listening and talking to people and I love giving advice, even when they are not exactly asking for my help (a bit nosey, I know, but with good intentions!). I don't like lies and I hate peas and motorways with a passion. I love picnics, photography, butterflies, music, Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep (not necessarily together), written words, making lists, the sea, the sunset, trees and people watching. Oh, and I have a serious passion for whistling.